


something here is different (i couldn’t hide it if i had to)

by bechloehuh



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Beca Mitchell-centric, Canon Compliant, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/F, Merry Pitchmas Gift Exchange 2019, Mutual Pining, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:20:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21962740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bechloehuh/pseuds/bechloehuh
Summary: Chloe doesn’t have anybody to spend Christmas with, so she goes home to Boston with Beca. (Pitchmas Gift Exchange 2019.)
Relationships: Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell
Comments: 48
Kudos: 465





	something here is different (i couldn’t hide it if i had to)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [isacabral](https://archiveofourown.org/users/isacabral/gifts).



> for [isacabral](https://archiveofourown.org/users/isacabral/pseuds/isacabral). i'm so sorry this is late, but i finally finished and i hope you love it as much as i love you! merry pitchmas, and happy holidays to everybody else!
> 
> title taken from first christmas (that i loved you) by shameik moore.

She brings it up on December 7th.

She knows it’s a touchy subject; Chloe’s parents, her family, going home for the holidays, spending Christmas on her own. She’s never sure what’s going to happen, and there’s a very fine line there that Beca doesn’t want to cross, despite the fact that she knows Chloe won’t get mad at her for overstepping. She knows it’s not in Chloe’s nature to be mad at _anybody,_ let alone her best friend.

But she’s curious. It’s their first Christmas post-Barden, post-Bellas, post-their _family;_ she’s not sure whether Chloe has plans to go back to Barden to spend time with Aubrey, or stay here and try to catch up on her school work, or actually go home for the first time since Beca has known her.

Despite the fact that Beca likes to claim she’s cold-hearted and tough—though, she’s not sure if it’s quirky anymore, maybe it’s just annoying—she can admit that if Chloe has nowhere to go for Christmas, it’ll probably break her heart.

She brings it up as she steps into the shower, having planned it that way because it means she won’t have to _look_ at Chloe, so she won’t have to deal with her sickenly adorable pout as she inevitably _begs_ Beca not to go home for the holidays like she did last year.

(Parting from Chloe at the airport had Beca wondering if it was too late to call her mom and tell her she’s staying at Barden with the girls - with _Chloe.)_

“So, what are you doing for Christmas?”

Beca hopes it comes across as casual as she planned it in her head, as she turns the shower on and holds her hand underneath the water to wait for the perfect temperature. It’s cold in New York and they can’t exactly afford to keep the heat on all the time, so she immediately welcomes the hot spray against her skin; _relaxes_ into it.

The relaxation is short lived though, because Chloe’s head peaks around the shower curtain and Beca jumps, instinctively turning and covering herself as best as she can.

 _“Jesus,_ Chloe!”

“Oh come on, I’ve seen it all before,” Chloe says, handing her a fresh cup of coffee.

She thinks there must be some unwritten rule about drinking coffee in the shower—because 1. _Definitely_ a hazard, 2. One wrong turn and it’ll be filled with shower water, and 3. She’s pretty sure it’s on par with brushing your teeth in the shower, which, _gross—_ but she accepts the cup anyway because she’s running late.

Chloe lingers for a moment longer than Beca would like after she thanks her, before disappearing back into the kitchen. As she holds the coffee in one hand, she cleans herself with the other, forgoing washing her hair in fear of being later than she already knows she’s going to be.

She takes a sip of her coffee, cursing when it burns her tongue.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” She shuts the shower off and manages to spill only a quarter of the coffee in the shower as she reaches for her towel and struggles to wrap it around herself with one hand.

She steps out of the shower, holding the cup out in front of her. Chloe takes it with a smile, immediately bringing it to her lips and sipping, before wincing at either the bitter taste, or she made the same mistake Beca did and it had burned her tongue. 

It seems to be the former, because she’s turning around and dropping three heaped teaspoons of sugar into the cup before Beca can even protest.

“Great, now you ruined it,” she tells her as she makes her way over to the clothes that are hanging on a rail at the end of Amy’s bed. She holds her towel up with one hand as she flicks through them with the other, stopping at her black blazer and deciding to pair it with black jeans and a red shirt.

“I made it _better,_ you mean.”

She gets dressed behind the railing of clothes, dropping down to sit on Amy’s bed when she’s fully dressed to put her socks on.

“I’m leaving, Becs.”

“Wait!” She stands up, almost tripping over her own feet as she rushes over to stuff her phone and keys into her bag. “I’m almost done, I’ll walk with you.”

Chloe stays where she is, standing by the door and looking down at her phone as she waits for Beca to finish getting ready. She brushes her teeth, applies some mascara to her eyes and quickly puts her hair up, not wanting to keep Chloe waiting and making them _both_ late.

(Though, with the way she keeps stopping to glance at Chloe, Beca’s sure that she would have had it done in thirty seconds if she wasn’t so damn distracting.)

“Ready?” Chloe asks, and Beca nods with a distracted smile as she looks around the apartment to see if she’s got everything. 

_Phone, wallet, laptop, charger—_

“—Lunch,” Chloe says, and Beca frowns. She turns to look at her and like a lightswitch in her brain, it clicks; _lunch._

“You’re a lifesaver,” she says, accepting the brown paper bag that Chloe hands to her that she had just picked up off of the chair by the door. 

She shoves it into her bag and turns the lights off as they leave the apartment, making sure to lock the door as Chloe makes her way to the elevator. The corridor is narrow so they can’t walk side by side, and Beca has to stop herself from dropping her gaze down as she walks behind Chloe.

“So,” she says, hoping to distract her brain. “Christmas?”

Chloe stops at the elevator and presses the button, not tearing her eyes away from the phone in her hand. Beca watches her for a few seconds until the elevator dings and the door opens slowly. “Chlo?”

“Huh?” She looks up, like Beca had interrupted something, and Beca almost feels bad about it, but Chloe is soon smiling wide and bright; way too bright for seven o’clock on a tuesday morning.

They step into the elevator and Beca reaches over to press the ground floor button, trying not to notice how Chloe stands close to her despite the room available in the elevator since they’re the only ones in it.

“Christmas,” she says again. “Any plans?”

“Don’t think so,” she responds casually as she looks down at her phone again. 

Beca glances over to see that she’s scrolling through Twitter, occasionally stopping when a cute animal video pops up. She looks up to watch Chloe’s face, watching her reactions and the way she bites her lip in a way that has her mouth feeling a little dry, and she finds herself smiling when Chloe laughs.

The elevator doors opening breaks her out of her reverie and the two of them walk out of the entrance, out of the safe, warm confines of their apartment building. Beca’s used to the cold, having lived in Boston for most of her life, but she knows Chloe isn’t, so she gets ready for Chloe’s hand to slip into hers, for her to nuzzle closer to her as they make their way to the Subway.

“Jesus,” Chloe hisses, putting her phone in her pocket and wrapping her coat tighter around herself. She reaches down for Beca’s hand, cold fingers sliding over her wrist until their hands are intertwined.

Beca smiles.

“Why aren’t you wearing your gloves?”

“I gave them to Kyle yesterday.”

“Who’s Kyle?”

“The guy outside the bodega.”

She pulls Beca towards the traffic light, stopping to look left and right. A few cars drive past and Beca looks up at Chloe, eyebrows furrowed. She’s not a religious person but she finds herself wondering how God—the same God who lets things like war and crime and famine and poverty happen on his earth—could make someone as perfect as Chloe Beale.

She’s not shocked to learn that Chloe gave her only gloves to someone who needs them more—because that’s who Chloe _is—_ but she _is_ shocked at how much it surprises her, makes her analyse Chloe as much as she can during their three minute wait at the traffic lights until Chloe is pulling her across the street.

“Come on, we’re gonna miss the train,” she says, and Beca speeds up immediately, never wanting to deny Chloe of anything.

 _Christmas,_ she wants to say again. _What are you doing for Christmas?_

She wants to know everything; wants to know what time Chloe will be waking up, what pajamas she’ll be wearing, her reaction when she opens the small present that Beca had tucked under their small, Charlie Brown-looking Christmas tree—they couldn't afford a real one since Amy decided to break the kitchen sink and they had to spend their Christmas tree money on a plumber—that she had asked Chloe to promise not to open until Christmas day.

Because despite how long they’ve known each other, Beca has always gone home for the holidays, and Chloe has always spent it at Barden with the other Bellas who decided to stay, for reasons unknown to Beca.

 _So Christmas,_ she wonders. _Come home with me for Christmas._

They make it onto the train for 7:17, and Beca finds herself feeling a little sad that she’s getting off a few stops before Chloe. She doesn’t have time to dwell though because Chloe is pulling her phone out again as they stand against the pole, huddled close together because of the busy train.

“Look at this,” Chloe says, showing her a video of a dog running around dressed as Santa.

Beca doesn’t find it cute, per se, but she _does_ find herself smiling. Maybe it’s because Chloe is giggling quietly, maybe it’s because when she looks at Chloe, she has a big smile on her face and her eyes are shining with joy, or maybe it’s because deep down she _does_ find the dog cute, but it’s whatever. Chloe is quickly moving on to show her more tweets, occasionally saying “this is you” at a picture of a sleeping raccoon, or “look it’s me” at a video of someone being annoying to their friend.

Beca lives for small moments like this, though she’ll deny it if anyone ever calls her out on it. She loves the domesticity, the _closeness_ of it. Walking to the train station together, holding hands because Chloe—beautiful, _wonderful_ Chloe—gave her gloves away, looking at funny tweets together on their morning commute.

It’s their thing, a minute glimpse into their life that outsiders get the pleasure of witnessing. Nobody knows who they are or what they do or where they’re going, but they can see them happy together and that thought warms Beca to her core.

She wonders if people watch them and wonder these things, like if they’re best friends or sisters or girlfriends. She wonders if people watch them and would like to know what they’re laughing quietly about, wonders if they think they’re annoying, or if people look at them and smile because of how close they’re standing, how cute they look.

They’ll never really know though, not _fully,_ and Beca’s not sure why it feels like a secret they’re keeping, but she likes the feeling. _Loves_ it, even. She loves knowing Chloe, knowing herself, knowing _them._

Like how on weekends they make dinner together from the limited ingredients they have in the fridge and cupboards, one of their many shared playlists playing as background music as they dance around each other and get into small fights about who’s doing what, but solving it by one of them saying something stupid and laughing it off. 

How they sit and listen to new music together, watch movies even though Beca claims to hate them, and sometimes order takeout when they have cash leftover from their bills.

How they struggle; emotionally, mentally, financially, but how they’re always there to pick each other up — just the two of them, since Amy is never really around.

How their evenings go, the two of them tired from a long day and struggling to keep their eyes open as they watch one more episode of whatever show they’ve decided to binge watch together. 

How during the night, one of them—always Chloe—will pull the covers off, and the other—always Beca—will cuddle closer, groaning sleepily and incoherently about how it’s too cold. 

How, on a morning, they struggle to wake up, keeping their eyes closed for a few minutes longer than they should do because they don’t want to leave the safe and warm confines of their bed; not wanting to pull apart from each other just yet because they’re too comfortable.

There’s a line somewhere that Beca’s pretty sure they crossed a while ago. Maybe it was when Beca had asked on a whim if Chloe wanted to move to New York with her and Amy, or maybe it was the second Chloe stepped into her shower and asked her to sing for her. 

Beca’s not sure when it was, but she knows what they have is different. That it’s not exactly ordinary for two best friends to share a bed together every night, to hold hands on their way to work and school, to fight like a married couple, to text each other all day even though they spend every moment together, to cuddle up to each other at night when it’s freezing cold in the apartment because they couldn’t afford to pay the gas bill.

The Bellas have always said their friendship was a weird one, that they act more like a married couple than their own parents. They even call them mom and dad, and although it makes Beca laugh, there’s still a tinge of pain in her heart whenever it happens, or whenever she even thinks about it, because despite the fact that they act like more than friends, she’s never really had the courage to take it further.

It’s a little strange, having a small revelation on her commute to work that she wants to be more than friends with Chloe, but then again, there’s been a lot of strange stuff happening in her life since she became friends with her, so it’s not exactly surprising.

Still, it makes her heart race. Makes her palms sweat despite the cold train carriage they’re in. Makes her cheeks burn up and gives her a stomachache.

“Look, it’s us.” Chloe says, turning her phone towards Beca. It’s a picture of two cats cuddling, one of them brown and the other ginger. The ginger one is licking the other’s ear as it looks disinterested. It makes Beca laugh. Makes her shake her head incredulously.

It’s not long before the train comes to a stop and she has to get off. A few people push past her as she adjusts the strap of her bag on her shoulder.

“What time do you finish?”

Beca thinks it over, knowing that she has one day this week where she’s finishing at four. She’s pretty sure that’s on Thursday, though with how hectic her schedule currently is, she can’t remember.

“Not sure, I’ll text you.”

“Okay,” Chloe says as Beca steps out of the train. She turns and watches as the doors close, and Chloe moves to peer around the man in front of the door so she can see Beca.

 _Love you,_ she mouths, and Beca can’t stop the smile that tugs at the corners of her mouth.

She grins at her, waving, and she finds herself wanting to follow the train as it slowly sets off.

* * *

Her day is busy enough that she forgets about their train ride to work, and the small revelation—if she can call it that—that had caused panic to rise in her stomach before Chloe had unintentionally calmed it down. 

Her client is an asshole and thinks that he can do Beca’s job better than her, so when her alarm goes off at 12:30 signalling her lunch break, she—and she’s not proud of this—pretends it’s a phone call and rushes out of the room. 

(And yeah, maybe she changed her alarm tone to the default iPhone ringtone in case of emergencies like this, which she thinks is probably her biggest accomplishment to date.)

The small break room in the studio is empty save for Harry and Stephen, who are both watching something on one of their laptops. She doesn’t really know them enough to sit with them, and she briefly wonders if adulthood is _supposed_ to feel like it’s her first day at high school all over again.

Her thumb hovers over the call button below Chloe’s name as she sits down, waiting for the time at the top of her screen to hit 12:35.

Chloe answers almost immediately, and Beca finds herself exhaling out a relieved breath at the sound of her chipper greeting.

“How mad would you be if I went to prison for murder?”

Chloe’s laugh makes her smile, and she briefly looks over at Harry and Stephen to see if they had heard her. They’re still looking at the laptop though, seemingly unphased by what’s going on around them.

“You can’t go to prison, Becs, I’d miss you too much.”

She sighs. “You can come visit. Nine ‘til three, everyday.”

“Should I be worried that you know the visiting hours?”

Beca laughs, feeling the most at ease she’s felt all day. She pulls her sandwich out of her bag and unwraps it as she holds the phone between her ear and shoulder, smiling as Chloe starts to tell her that today she learned that female peacocks are called peahens, and a family of them is called a bevy.

She pulls the post-it note off of the saran wrap and reads over it with a content sigh.

 **_“Your big opportunity may be right where you are now.” - Napoleon Hill._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Don’t forget to kick butt today, my little superstar!_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Chloe_ **

“What class was this?” She asks, finger absentmindedly tracing over the heart beside Chloe’s name. “Why are they teaching you about peacocks?”

“Oh, this wasn’t in class, I was just looking at animal facts online.”

She lets out a soft laugh, folding the note and putting it in her back pocket before holding the phone in her hand again and picking up half of her sandwich, listening contentedly as Chloe tells her more random animal facts.

* * *

She gets home at six.

She had sent a few texts to Chloe throughout the day, whenever she got a moment to herself that wasn’t taken up by her boss asking her questions about her latest client, or her coworker asking her if she thinks Jason from downstairs likes her back, or her client being passive aggressive on the little progress she’s made in the last week.

The second she steps out of the elevator onto their floor, she feels a sense of calm wash over her at the fact that in a few seconds, she’ll see Chloe. 

And maybe this is the best part of her day, coming home to her best friend. Despite how tired she is, Chloe will always make her feel like she hasn’t had the worst day of her life, or she hasn’t just almost died by suffocation on the Subway ride home due to the capacity of the train car, or she hasn’t spent her whole day looking forward to the moment she steps into their apartment.

Sure enough, Chloe is home when she unlocks the door and steps inside.

She has her back towards Beca, standing on a chair in the kitchen and sticking some Christmas lights to the ceiling with scotch tape. Beca recognizes the box on the counter as the cheap kind from Walmart, and there’s a few strings of garland and other Christmas decorations—some of them homemade—scattered over the small round table and on the floor.

Chloe is wearing grey sweats and a red sweater that Beca’s pretty sure she’s wearing simply because it’s a festive color. Her hair is up in a messy ponytail and she has a pair of Beca’s old headphones on that Beca had given to her after she had treat herself to a new pair a couple of months back.

She’s humming along to whatever song is playing through her headphones, and Beca doesn’t recognize the tune but if she were to guess, she’d say it’s most definitely a Christmas song given how much Chloe loves them.

“Chlo?”

She drops her bag onto the chair next to the door when Chloe doesn’t hear her, and she smiles as she approaches her, reaching up slowly.

Her fingers jab into her waist and Chloe screams, turning around abruptly and almost falling off of the chair.

“Oh, shit!” Beca laughs, holding Chloe’s waist to help her stay balanced. Chloe reaches up with one hand to take the headphones off, and she uses her other to reach down and smack Beca on the shoulder.

“You idiot, I could’ve died!”

Beca laughs, accepting Chloe’s hand in hers and helping her step down off of the chair.

She looks up at the ceiling, and then down at the decorations on the table and floor.

“Is our tiny tree not enough?”

Chloe pulls her phone out of her pocket to pause the music and unplug her headphones, wrapping the cord around them as she smiles up at the decorations.

“You like them?” She asks, ignoring Beca’s question, and Beca finds herself nodding immediately.

“They’re alright.”

Chloe smacks her arm again and tells her to shut up, and Beca unconsciously moves a step closer.

“You should come home with me for Christmas, you know.”

And she didn’t exactly plan to ask her, but the second it comes out of her mouth Beca finds that she doesn’t want to take it back. Chloe will be alone, most likely, and Beca simply can’t let that happen when she’s going to be with her family, missing Chloe more than she cares to admit.

“Really?” Chloe asks, and Beca nods her head, turning around and throwing herself onto the bed to take her boots off.

“You’re gonna be on your own, right?” she says, struggling. “Can you help?”

Chloe laughs, walking over to grab Beca’s boot and pulling at it. It doesn’t budge, and Beca lays back against the duvet, her arms splayed out beside her as Chloe tugs a few times until the boot comes off.

“I don’t want to impose,” Chloe tells her, and Beca waves her off, looking up at the homemade snowflakes that Chloe has stuck to their ceiling.

“You’re not. I want you to come.”

She lifts her other leg and the boot comes off much easier this time, and she smiles when she feels the bed dip beside her. She turns to Chloe, looking up at her. The angle isn’t the most flattering, but she can’t help but note how beautiful Chloe’s smile is.

“I’d love to spend Christmas with you, Becs.”

* * *

The next day, when Beca leaves for her lunch break, she doesn’t bother hiding her excited smile when she calls Chloe at 12:34.

“No murder today,” Chloe says in lieu of a greeting, and Beca lets out a loud laugh.

“No murder, I promise,” she says. “I just had a thought.”

“Oh no.”

“Shut up.” She takes her sandwich out of the paper bag, reading over the post-it note attached to it.

 **_“Rise above the storm and you will find the sunshine.” - Mario Fernandez_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Have a good day sunshine!_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Love, Chloe._ **

Her heart hammers in her chest, and only calms down when she hears Chloe ask her what she was thinking.

“Do you still have those hideous matching Christmas sweaters you bought a couple years back?”

“Of course, do you even _know_ me?” She responds as Beca puts the note in her pocket. “Why?”

“My family has an ugly sweater competition every year and we’re _definitely_ gonna win.”

* * *

They spend the days before they leave doing everything that they’ll probably end up doing in Boston, but Beca enjoys the time alone with her best friends.

Amy is supposedly going home with her new boyfriend—which Beca and Chloe _both_ know is actually Bumper—so they spend their days, when they’re not at work, cooking together, staying up way too late watching Christmas movies (Beca ends up falling asleep against Chloe’s shoulder most nights) and exploring New York.

Chloe drags them to Rockefeller Center, Times Square, several Christmas markets and most importantly: some of the places that Buddy visited in Elf because it’s her favorite movie, and she’s a literal child.

(Beca can’t even be mad about it.)

And Beca loves her family more than anything but they’re not exactly the type to hold back their teasing comments. If they saw Beca and Chloe watching Christmas movies in bed, huddled close together under the blankets with hot chocolate, or getting drunk and having their own little Christmas party with classic songs playing as background music, or walking through Central Park and starting a snowball fight—just the two of them—Beca knows for a fact that they’d have a _lot_ to say about it. Things that she’s embarrassed just _thinking_ about.

Usually she’d brush them off. Maybe if they were about her and anybody else. But this is _Chloe,_ and she’d rather not be reminded that they’re not, in fact, _together._

She’s starting to wonder if it’s a good idea to bring Chloe home with her, especially in light of her newfound crush on her best friend.

* * *

They decide to make a road trip out of it.

It’s a four hour drive from Brooklyn to Boston, so Chloe drives the first two hours and Beca drives the rest of the way.

They pass the time by singing along to the eight hour long playlist that Chloe curated especially for their journey. It’s packed with cheesy throwbacks, their favorite songs, songs they’ve never heard before and of course, Christmas music.

Beca almost turns the car around when Chloe blasts the Glee version of Last Christmas.

(“Turn this shit off or so help me God—”

“—It’s a classic!”

“Put the original on _now,_ Chloe!”)

And yeah, maybe she literally counts the seconds until they’re home to distract herself from the fact that Chloe falls asleep about three and a half hours into the journey and she looks downright adorable. She glances at her every time she stops at a red light—which, in her opinion, is _not_ enough times—and she can’t help the way her heart soars at the sight of her, curled up with the blanket that Beca keeps on the back seat because she knows that Chloe loves to sleep on long car journeys, despite how she always complains afterwards about the kink in her neck.

On one particular long wait at a red light, she turns to see that the blanket has fallen down off of Chloe’s shoulder slightly. As she reaches over to pull it back up, Chloe lets out a soft sigh, and it makes her smile as she watches her; watches her for so long that she doesn’t even notice the light changing until a couple of cars behind her honk their horns.

Along the way, the light snowfall starts to get heavier, and Beca worries that maybe they’ll get caught in a snowstorm and won’t make it home. She only lets herself breathe properly when she finally turns into her neighborhood, passing by the familiar houses that she grew up with, until she comes to a stop behind a few cars in front of her house.

Looking over, she sees some of her cousins, nieces and nephews playing in the snow, and she feels warmth spread through her chest despite the chill in the air as she turns the car off.

She turns to Chloe, reaching out to shake her shoulder gently.

“I didn’t tell the gardener! What?”

Beca laughs, her eyebrows knitting together.

“What didn’t you tell the gardener, Chlo?”

Chloe, confused for a moment, sits up and yawns, and Beca watches as realization sets in and her eyes widen at their surroundings.

“Oh my God, are we at the North Pole?”

 _“Boston_ but close enough, I guess.”

Her eyes are lit up as she looks around, a grin on her face that makes Beca’s stomach clench.

“Oh look, they’re building a snowman!”

Beca looks over at the yard that Chloe is pointing towards, smiling.

“Yep, they’re idiots.”

“Beca!”

“What? They’re my cousins.”

“Aw, cute!”

Beca laughs at her reaction, reaching down to take her seatbelt off.

“Get ready,” she says, opening and closing the door and kneeling down, practically crawling across the floor to hide behind the wall they’ve parked beside. Chloe follows suit—though Beca can tell she doesn’t know what the hell is going on—and she stays low as she makes her way over to kneel behind the wall beside Beca.

“What’s going on?” Chloe asks with a smile, already ready for whatever’s in store for them.

Beca looks at her for a moment before picking up a handful of snow.

“War,” she responds, making a snowball and handing it to Chloe.

She picks up another handful of snow, making it into another snowball for herself, before standing up.

“Hey, losers!” she yells, pulling her hand back and launching it towards the kids. 

It hits Jaden in the back and the five year old stumbles forward a little, before he turns towards them. Beca can see the realization in his eyes before the rest of them are yelling their own versions of her name—“Beca’s here!”, “Becsy!”, “Shortbutt!”—and throwing snowballs in their general direction as Jaden runs over to them.

“Hey little man!”

“Hi Auntie Beca!” He falls three times before he makes it to the wall, and Beca grins as she hops over it, picking him up with an overdramatic groan.

“Jeez, you’re not a little man anymore.”

“I’m almost big as you, Auntie Beca!”

“Maybe taller.” Beca turns to Chloe, frowning, but she can’t stop the smile from tugging at the corners of her mouth when she sees Chloe smiling back at her as she makes her way over. “Who’s this?”

Jaden, not one to be shy in front of anybody, sticks his hand out towards Chloe.

“Jaden Kinton, at your service.”

“Kingston,” Beca corrects, and Chloe laughs as she shakes his hand, telling him it’s nice to meet him and that her name is Chloe.

He turns to Beca then, putting his damp and cold gloved hands on each of Beca’s cheeks.

“Gramma said you would be here _seven!”_ he hits her cheeks gently to punctuate his words, “hours! ago!”

“Is that right?” she laughs, putting him down and kneeling in front of him instead. “Well, it took a little longer ‘cause we stopped to visit my good friend Santa Clause.”

His eyes widen comically as he puts his hand over his mouth.

“You know _Santa?”_ He asks, voice muffled. Beca pulls his hand away and nods her head, reaching into her back pocket for a note that she had written—admittedly, a little rushed—before they set off this morning.

“He needed me to hand-deliver this to you.”

He unfolds the note eyes scanning over the words, and Beca can’t help the way she smirks as she looks up at Chloe. The expression on Chloe’s face takes Beca by surprise a little, and she starts to wonder if maybe Chloe is watching in _awe,_ of all things, but quickly shuts that thought down immediately.

“Oh my gosh!” he shouts, and Beca’s eyes widen.

“What is it, buddy?”

“I can’t read!”

Chloe laughs loudly, holding her hands up to her mouth, and Beca looks up at her again.

“He’s _so_ cute,” she whispers. Beca smiles at her for a moment, gives a small nod in agreement and turns back to Jaden.

“Let me see,” she says, taking the note from him and clearing her throat. “Dear Jaden,” she reads. “My friends Beca and Chloe have told me _all_ about how good you’ve been this year. Keep it up and you’ll get _double_ the amount of gifts on Christmas morning. Your friend, Santa Clause.”

Jaden’s grin is huge as he brings his hands up to his cheeks. “I’m friends with Santa!”

“You are,” Beca laughs, handing the note back to him. “Why don’t you go show your mom while we get our bags?”

Beca’s not sure why Chloe is looking at her the way she is when she stands up and watches Jaden run to the house, struggling a little to open the door before one of the older kids helps him. She turns to her, ready to tell her to prepare for her mom to make a huge deal out of the fact that she’s here, but stops abruptly when she sees her face.

It’s not awe. Not love. Not _nothing,_ Beca tells herself.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Chloe replies quickly. “I never realized how much you liked kids.”

“Oh I don’t, they’re the worst.”

Chloe giggles, hitting Beca’s arm gently before taking it and pulling her towards the car for their luggage.

* * *

They get settled quickly, and Beca’s not surprised that her mom has planted mistletoe around the entire house. It gives her an excuse to run up to Beca when she’s standing under one and kiss her on the cheek over and over again - Beca’s pretty sure she’s only doing it because Chloe’s there and her mother wants to embarrass her.

When Chloe stops her in the doorway to her bedroom, pointing up at the mistletoe hung above the door, Beca sighs.

“I swear, that woman—” She’s cut off by soft lips against her cheek, and they quickly warm significantly at the contact.

“Nerd,” is all she can say as she makes her way inside, leaving the luggage by the door.

Before Beca even has a chance to ask Chloe if she wants to sleep in her bed or the air mattress, Chloe is throwing herself onto the bed and sighing.

“You okay, dude?”

“I’m fine, _dude,”_ she grins, turning to face her. “My neck is a little stiff, that’s all.”

“I told you not to sleep in the car.”

“I was tired!”

Beca smiles, nodding. “Well, I’m pretty sure my mom is making lasagna for dinner but it won’t be for a few hours. You could nap if you want.”

Chloe sits up, looking around the room. No matter how much Beca tries—okay, she doesn’t _really_ try but she likes to think she does—she can’t look away from her best friend’s face. Her smile grows each time she looks at something different, noticing new things about Beca for the very first time, like her swim team trophy and the McFly poster taped to her closet door.

Chloe points to it, eyes asking the question that she doesn’t even _have_ to ask.

“I thought they looked cool,” Beca tells her.

“Yeah, right!” Chloe laughs. “Which one did you have a crush on?”

“Oh, shut up.”

“It was Harry, wasn’t it?”

“Dude, no.”

“Tom?”

She sighs. “Dougie.”

Chloe’s eyes widen, looking back at the poster. _“Really?”_

“He was the most underrated member!”

She throws her head back laughing while her hand reaches out to push Beca. It falls down to rest on her thigh, and Beca swallows down the inevitable hitch of her breath at the contact, hoping that Chloe doesn’t notice her demeanor change.

There’s a knock on the door, just as Beca is about to be brave and put her hand over Chloe’s.

“Come in.”

The door opens and her mom’s head pokes through the gap. She has a Santa hat on and a lipstick stain on her cheek.

“Jaden’s asking for you.”

* * *

They spend the rest of the day interacting with so many people that Beca is worried Chloe will be burnt out by the time Christmas actually rolls around.

Over the years, she’s gotten used to spending a lot of time with her family, but even _she_ is feeling tired by the time they finish dinner. She’s not surprised that when she looks over at Chloe for what’s probably the millionth time that day, Chloe looks drained.

She forgoes asking her mom if she wants help with the dishes, knowing that she’ll turn her down anyway and ask her uncle Carl to help instead.

Since most of her family are staying with them over the holidays, they settle down in the living room after dinner, ready to watch a movie. As much as she’s missed them, she’d rather have some time alone with Chloe to recharge in time for whatever activities her family has planned for the next few days before Christmas.

She knows Chloe is tired with the way she doesn’t even question Beca when she takes her hand and leads her up the stairs to her room. It’s not until Beca is throwing a pair of pyjamas at her that Chloe even says anything, and even then it’s only a quick “thanks Bec,” before she lazily starts to undress.

Beca averts her eyes immediately, shuffling over to the bathroom.

When she returns with her pyjamas on and her hair down, Chloe is already asleep.

She smiles at the sight of her best friend in her bed, going over to lift the duvet up to her chin, just how she likes it. And she’s ready to step back and leave, to ask her mom for the air mattress for her to sleep on, when Chloe turns to her, eyes fluttering open, and grabs her wrist.

Beca doesn’t even need to ask to know that Chloe wants her to get into bed with her.

Her heart pounds as she gets into bed—unable to comprehend why; they spend every single night sleeping next to each other—as she tries to move as little as possible so she doesn’t disturb Chloe.

“Night, Bec,” Chloe whispers, her voice thick with sleep.

“Goodnight, Chloe.”

She falls asleep not long after her heart has stopped pounding.

* * *

Beca and her grandma have a tradition every year, where they drive around the neighborhood and look at all the decorated houses, before going into the city to get lunch.

She’s more than excited to share the tradition with Chloe, but after five minutes in the car with them both, she starts to wonder if maybe it was a good idea after all.

(And yes, she was nervous at first; scared that Chloe would think it was lame—or that she’d think Beca is lame for enjoying it—but Beca has a habit of underestimating her best friend.

She’s pretty sure Chloe enjoys it more than the two of them combined.)

The second the clock hit three, they headed out in Beca’s grandma’s old Volkswagen, driving through different neighborhoods.

“Look at that one!” Chloe points from the back seat, and Beca turns to see where she’s pointing. “It’s got a giant Olaf!”

Beca laughs when her grandma asks what the hell an Olaf is, laughing even more when Chloe tries to explain the plot of Frozen to her after she tells Chloe that she’s never seen it before.

She’s pretty sure she’s never been as happy as she is now, driving around Boston with two of the most important women in her life.

Once they come to a stop at a traffic light when they’re close to the city, her grandma points to one of the buildings ahead of them, explaining that the building was built in the 1800’s. And although Beca grew up here and she’s heard most of the stories countless times before, she still finds herself listening intently, only glancing at Chloe every now and again to see her reactions — to see if she’s having a good time.

“Those are the two tallest buildings in Boston,” her grandma points ahead. “The Hancock on the left and the Prudential on the right.” Beca nods, and before she even gets a chance to respond, her grandma is talking again. “Okay, this is interesting. The Boston public library, it’s beautiful. Look at that building, isn’t it gorgeous? Do you wanna go inside?”

“No, Grandma, I think we’re good.”

“Oh, right there is the corner where you used to play, Beca.”

“Play?” Chloe asks.

“Her music. She used to take her guitar out to this corner every Saturday and Sunday and play for hours.” She leans forward in her seat to look left and right before taking a left turn. “Oh Chloe, she’s magnificent, isn’t she?”

“Grandma,” Beca laughs nervously, just as Chloe says “she is.”

Beca turns to look at her and Chloe smiles softly.

“And we’re just coming up to Trinity church, look at that! Such beautiful architecture.”

Beca smiles, always so amused by her grandmother’s strong Boston accent and the way she gets so excited about everything.

“And there’s Berklee. You know, Beca almost went there.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, she wanted to study music there but chose Barden instead.”

Beca shrugs. “Only ‘cause it was free.”

It makes Chloe laugh, and Beca can’t stop the burst of pride in her chest at the sound of it. She always feels good when she makes Chloe laugh, especially as of late.

“Oh,” her grandma interrupts her thoughts, causing Beca to turn towards where she’s pointing, “at summertime the Boston Gardens are really nice because they have swan boats!”

* * *

They get lunch at a small cafe that opened up a few months back.

Her grandma insists on paying for them, despite how Chloe offers her card. Beca’s learned that she got her stubbornness from her, so she doesn’t even bother to try and convince her to let them pay for themselves.

She’s surprised, however, when she stands up and tells them that she’s just gonna go next door to the mall for some last minute Christmas presents. Beca does offer to go with her, not wanting her to be caught up in the chaos that is last minute Christmas shoppers, but she insists that they stay inside; that they stay nice and warm.

Beca looks over the table at Chloe, watching how she has her gloved hands wrapped around the warm cup, and she’s a little taken aback when she sees the tears in Chloe’s eyes.

“Are you okay?” she asks, breaking her brownie in half and handing one half to Chloe.

She takes a bite as Chloe looks at her, watching as a tear slips down Chloe’s face before she quickly wipes it away.

“Dude,” she says, worries that maybe Chloe is having a bad time, or if she’s about to tell her some terrible news. She only allows herself to breathe when she watches Chloe smile, breaking off a piece of brownie and eating it.

“I’m just having a really nice time.” Chloe says. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.”

Chloe looks down and bites her lip, and Beca can’t stop her hand from reaching out, though she stops halfway, too nervous to take Chloe’s hand.

“I’ve spent all my Christmases at Barden for the past seven years. I was really dreading going home so I’m—” she sucks in a breath, her hand dropping to rest on the table. “I’m just really glad you asked me to come with you.”

“Me too,” Beca says immediately, her hand inching forward a little.

“I know it’s not even Christmas yet but this has been the best Christmas I’ve had in a really, _really_ long time.”

Beca smiles gently, her face softening. She reaches out the rest of the way, her fingers touching Chloe’s, and she tries to keep her cool as her heart starts to pound in her chest.

“Anytime, dude.”

Chloe loses herself in the moment for a few seconds before another tear falls and she laughs, moving her hand away from Beca’s to wipe her eyes.

“God, I’m sorry,” she drops her hand down to pick her cup of hot chocolate up, bringing it to her mouth. “What did they put in this, huh?” She jokes, and Beca’s aware that she’s deflecting because she feels a little awkward.

“Chlo,” she whispers, allowing herself to be sincere for a moment. “I told you, you never have to apologize. You’re allowed to cry, man, I’m not gonna laugh at you.”

The way she looks at her, so shy and vulnerable, makes Beca reach out again. Although Chloe’s holding her cup with both hands now, she quickly drops one to hold onto Beca’s.

And Beca usually feels awkward when people get emotional in front of her, but she suspects that the dam might break and she doesn’t want Chloe to be uncomfortable, especially in front of her. 

“I don't want to cry. I’m okay.”

She only wishes, as they hold hands, that she could feel Chloe’s skin against her own.

“You sure?”

Chloe nods, lifting her cup up to her mouth to take another drink. When she pulls it away, she has a hot chocolate and whipped cream mustache, and Beca’s heart warms at the sight.

She doesn't let go of Chloe's hand until they get back in the car.

* * *

They decide to go to the Christmas market that Chloe had seen advertised at the coffee shop. Beca’s grandma drops them off at the market and gives them money for a taxi home, ignoring Beca’s pleas to let her pay for at least _something_ this holiday.

She’s not surprised that Chloe takes her hand as soon as they enter the market, though Beca’s pretty sure it’s so neither of them get lost in the crowds of people.

She also starts to think that maybe Chloe’s hands were made to fit in hers, but quickly chastises herself for thinking of something so ridiculous and cheesy.

A live band plays as they walk around and look at each of the different stalls set out in rows. There’s a stall with churros and crêpes and another with German beer and wine. Chloe stops at one that sells cotton candy, and Beca doesn’t even hesitate to pull her wallet out and buy her some.

(It’s hard to deny Chloe of anything when she looks at Beca like _that.)_

It starts to snow lightly when they’re making their way towards the end of the stall, and Chloe pulls them towards a mulled wine and spiked hot chocolate tent. She buys a cup of each and they share them, pressed close together due to the amount of people walking around and bumping into them.

On their way back towards the entrance, Chloe stops to watch the performer as he starts to sing White Christmas, and Beca finds it hard to take her eyes off of her best friend.

Ever since her small revelation on the train a couple of weeks ago, she’s finding it harder and harder to deny her feelings for Chloe to herself. She knows that she shouldn’t be looking at her best friend this way; at the way the lights around them reflect off of her eyes, and the way she silently mouths along to the words of the song. 

She can’t help but smile at her pink cheeks and her red nose, and the visible puff of air that comes out of her mouth when she exhales. She watches her and she has to stifle her own smile because there’s nothing more beautiful than Chloe Beale in that moment, mulled wine in her gloved hands, awestruck by the man on stage who, truthfully, isn’t even singing in the right key. 

When Chloe looks at her, Beca’s heart skips a beat.

“I’m having so much fun,” Chloe tells her, holding onto her arm and pulling her closer.

Beca almost drops her hot chocolate but she doesn’t care, choosing to lean up to press a quick, brave kiss to Chloe’s cold cheek before pulling back and turning to watch the performer.

She doesn’t miss the way Chloe huddles closer to her, watching her for a moment too long before looking away.

* * *

“Auntie Beca?”

She thumbs through her phone, distracted by the latest trending topics on Twitter. “Yeah, Jaden?”

“I think Chloe should be your girlfriend.”

Taken aback by the comment, Beca looks over at him from the spot on the couch, before locking her phone and dropping it beside her. “What makes you say that, buddy?”

“Because she loves you a lot.”

“Yeah?” she smiles as he walks over to her, picking the five year old up and putting him on her knee. “How do you know?”

“I know these things.”

She laughs, bouncing her leg up and making him laugh. “Yeah?”

“Uh-huh! She always look at you when something funny happens.”

“She does? Why do you think she does that?”

“To make sure you’re laughing?” He grins. “Momma always says someone who loves you _always_ likes to make sure you’re happy.”

She presses her lips together but she can’t stop the smile from forming on her face.

“Do you think Chloe makes Auntie Beca happy?”

“Yep!”

“Yeah,” she nods. “She does. She makes me _super_ happy.”

 _“Super_ happy?”

“Yeah, super happy!” She tickles his side and he squeals, trying to free himself from her grip.

“Stop!” He laughs, smacking her arm. She stops and hugs him instead, closing her eyes contently before he pushes her away. “Do you make Chloe super happy, Auntie Beca?”

“I sure hope I do.”

He thinks for a moment before nodding. “You do.”

“Yeah?”

He slides down from her knee and picks up his toy truck, before climbing back up onto her lap. He almost hits her in the face with the truck and Beca’s laughing at him, about to ask him something else, when she hears the sound of someone clearing their throat. She turns to see Chloe standing in the doorway with a smile.

“Hey.” Beca says, almost breathless at the sight of her.

“Lunch is ready.”

“Oh, you hear that?” Beca tickles Jaden’s sides again and he squeals as he tries to slip off of her lap. “Lunch is ready, go wash your hands!”

He rushes to the kitchen and Beca stands up as she watches Chloe follow him with her eyes, a big smile on her face.

Beca approaches her and they walk side by side into the kitchen. When their arms brush Beca feels a jolt of something in her stomach, until Chloe is rounding the island and sitting on the stool. Beca sits on the one adjacent, just as Jaden comes over and lifts his arm for Beca to pull him up onto the stool beside her.

“What do we say to Chloe for making us sandwiches?”

“Thank you, Mrs Chloe.”

They both look at each other, before bursting into laughter.

* * *

Every year, Beca’s family spends Christmas Eve watching movies.

This year Jaden picks the movie. It turns out his new favorite movie is Elf, and Beca immediately looks over at Chloe to see her trying to keep in her excited smile and her delighted squeal when he tells his dad to put it on.

“Chloe _loves_ Elf,” Beca tells Jaden, and he turns to Chloe with a huge grin, his Santa hat almost falling over his eyes.

“I love Elf too!”

Beca watches as he rushes over to sit next to Chloe, smiling when Chloe puts her arm around him as the movie begins.

She only wishes her heart wouldn’t completely ache at the sight.

* * *

It doesn’t take long for the children to fall asleep.

Jaden is snoring against Chloe’s shoulder—Beca can’t resist taking a photo to post to the Bella group chat—as her cousins Katie, Nick, and Leo are all sprawled on the floor, sharing two blankets and a few pillows between the three of them.

She stops her Uncle Dan before he can stand up, telling him that she’ll take them to bed. She’ll never admit it but it’s her favorite thing to do; tucking them in and reading them a bedtime story so they’re ready and excited for Santa to come.

She’s not surprised that Chloe helps her, picking Jaden up carefully so she doesn’t wake him and making sure to bring his toy elephant with him.

They put the kids in the spare room, two of them in one bed and the other two on the pullout. By the time they’ve tucked them in, Katie and Leo are the only ones awake. Katie yawns when Beca kisses her on the forehead, before going to the bookshelf to pull out the same book that she’s read them for the past few years.

She feels Chloe’s eyes on her as she pulls the small toddler chair over by the beds and sits down on it, opening it up to the first page.

She looks at Chloe, a soft exhale escaping her lips at the twinkle in Chloe’s eye.

“Okay,” she whispers, “I’m gonna have to make this quick ‘cause Santa will be here soon.”

Chloe sits down on the floor beside her, looking up at Beca with waiting, excited eyes, and Beca smiles softly.

“'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…”

* * *

By the time they’re done, they return to the living room to see the adults piling gifts under the tree. She wants to offer to help but Chloe pulls her down to sit on the chair that her Grandpa was previously sitting on.

“That was _so_ cute,” Chloe whispers, draping her legs over Beca’s. “I had no idea you were so good with kids.”

“They make it easy,” Beca smiles. “They’re good kids.”

“Don’t pretend like you’re not the best aunt in the world.”

Her breath hitches when the tips of Chloe’s fingers run over her knuckles for a moment before delicate hands wrap around hers.

She’s not sure when it all changed, but she welcomes the way her heart starts to race; tries to ignore the ache she feels at the possibility of Chloe not feeling the same way about her.

“I’m gonna head to bed,” her mom interrupts. They both look up to see her smiling at them, her eyes drooping with exhaustion. She leans down to press a kiss to Beca’s cheek, not even hesitating to press a kiss to Chloe’s head too.

Beca watches with a smile.

“Goodnight mom.”

“Goodnight girls. Don’t be too long.”

They put on another movie when everybody else disperses to their respective rooms, though Beca doesn’t pay much attention to it. It’s hard to when Chloe is practically sat on her lap, still playing with her fingers and making Beca’s heart race every time she shifts or lets out a quiet laugh when something funny happens.

She spends most of the movie watching Chloe, admittedly a little proud of herself for being subtle about it.

It’s not until the credits roll that Chloe finally moves off of her lap, and although her leg is numb from the angle at which she was sitting, she immediately misses the contact.

But then Chloe holds her hand out, looking down at Beca with a smile that makes Beca blink a few times, confused.

“What’s happening?”

“Dance with me.”

It’s the smile on Chloe’s face and the look in her eyes that makes Beca stand up, physically unable to say no to her.

“I can’t believe you’re making me slow dance to Nat King Cole.”

Chloe drapes her arms over Beca’s shoulders, one hand resting on the back of her neck and making her shiver, while Beca hesitates for a moment before putting her hands on Chloe’s hips.

She looks up at Chloe, smiling shyly before moving her gaze to the side. She looks at the credits rolling on the screen, unable to handle looking at Chloe for any more than a few seconds.

“Thank you,” Chloe whispers.

And then Beca is looking up at her again, breath immediately hitching at the sight of her.

The room is dim, save for the glow from the TV and the colorful Christmas lights. The different colors reflect in Chloe’s eyes and she looks heavenly, _enchanting;_ so much more beautiful than Beca has ever seen her before.

She didn’t even know it was possible for someone to look like that.

“For what?” she asks.

She curses herself for the way her gaze drops to Chloe’s mouth when she smiles at her.

“Everything,” Chloe says. “Welcoming me into your family.”

She has to resist the urge to say something cheesy like “it’s what you deserve,” or “Chloe, you _are_ my family.”

Instead, she just smiles, and she doesn’t miss the way Chloe looks at her lips for a brief moment before looking up at her eyes again.

Her own eyelids feel heavy, and she’s not sure whether it’s because of the spiked eggnog they had or because she’s tired, or maybe it’s because she feels drunk on something else, being this close to Chloe — something she’s a little too afraid to admit to herself right now.

Chloe inhales, the pads of her fingers putting pressure against Beca’s neck, practically pushing her closer toward her.

Their eyes meet again and it’s the small, confident nod of Chloe’s head that pushes Beca closer.

Their lips meet so slowly that Beca wonders if maybe she’s imagining it.

Her fingers tremble as they hold onto Chloe’s hips, Chloe’s own fingers pressing against her neck to pull her closer. With each tilt of their heads, the kiss deepens, and it’s only when Chloe swipes her tongue over Beca’s bottom lip that she’s finally convinced that she isn’t dreaming.

Her breath hitches as she pushes further into Chloe, holding onto her hips with as much confidence as she can muster, hoping that she’s getting across how much this kiss means to her before they have to break for air.

A small whimper escapes Chloe and it makes Beca’s stomach clench, electricity shooting through her body and making her see fireworks behind her eyelids.

In the end it’s Chloe who pulls back, and Beca’s head immediately falls forward to rest against her chest, sighing contently.

She thinks about apologizing for maybe, possibly ruining their friendship by getting caught in the moment, but Chloe’s hand is steady and calm against her back as she rubs up and down.

She pulls back to look at Chloe, her hands trembling against her hips.

“Bec.”

She wishes she didn’t sound so desperate when she breathes out a raspy “yeah?”

The Christmas tree lights glisten, reflecting off of Chloe’s eyes as they look at each other.

“Take me to bed.”

* * *

They make quick work of their clothes, leaving them discarded by the door as they quietly make their way over to the bed, their movements so soft and so slow, but neither willing to stop kissing and touching each other.

The second Beca’s legs hit the edge of the bed, she finally breaks the kiss, taking a moment to catch her breath as she keeps one arm around Chloe’s waist while she turns to move the duvet.

She gets in first, a delicate hand tugging at Chloe’s until they’re both comfortable in bed.

And she’s about to ask Chloe if she’s sure she wants this—about to tell her that they can stop if she wants to—but Chloe hovers over her and presses a soft kiss to her cheek, making something flutter inside of her.

“Chloe,” she whispers, and she’s not sure what for. 

Maybe she’s asking for something, or maybe she just needs to say it to make sure this is real and she’s not hallucinating. But Chloe responds with her own whimper as Beca’s hand comes up to rest on the back of her neck before pulling her into another slow kiss.

Fingers make their way down her stomach so slowly that Beca’s pretty sure her heart stops beating, and only starts back up again when Chloe reaches Beca’s center.

Her head falls back against the pillow with a soft “fuck” as a finger slides through her.

Chloe’s lips attach to her neck and Beca holds Chloe against her, eyes closing with a moan as she slips a finger inside of her wet heat, spreading her slick over her.

“Chloe,” she repeats.

“Shh.”

It’s embarrassing how little time it takes for Chloe to get her close to the edge, like she knows exactly what Beca wants despite how they’ve never done this before.

(Not that Beca hasn’t wanted to, on multiple occasions. Drunken night outs with the Bellas, drunken night _ins_ with the Bellas; she and Chloe have been straddling that line for years, but haven’t ever crossed it until tonight.

She has a feeling that tonight isn’t just a drunken hook-up, though.)

She rolls her hips with each stroke of Chloe’s fingers, silently begging for more until Chloe gets the message and speeds up her actions.

She buries her mouth in Chloe’s neck, muffling her soft moans and whimpers as to not wake up her family. It’s a huge risk, doing this with so many people sleeping around the house, but she’s not sure she can stop now. Not when Chloe is so close to making her come.

“Fuck,” she rasps, her breath hot against Chloe’s neck as she hugs her tighter against her. “I’m— I’m close.”

Chloe turns to press a kiss to the side of Beca’s head before she starts to rub tight circles against her clit, and Beca’s back arches, eyes squeezing shut and teeth clenching at the pleasure.

And she wants to tell Chloe that she’s about to come but all she manages is a gasp, and then she’s silent, her body going rigid against Chloe’s before she comes with a sharp gasp.

“Fuck, oh my God,” she murmurs, holding Chloe close to her body, center twitching as she tries to catch her breath.

“You’re so beautiful, Bec.”

It’s not only the sentiment, but the way Chloe says it that has Beca smiling, feeling more content than ever before, even as she’s naked and vulnerable underneath Chloe.

She takes a second, when Chloe pulls back after kissing her forehead, to look up at her. At the woman who seems to have tilted her entire world on its axis, and she finds that she doesn’t even care. She feels like she’s been waiting a lifetime for Chloe, and she’d easily wait a lifetime more if it meant that Chloe will look at her like this in the end.

* * *

Beca thinks waking up to a naked Chloe Beale on Christmas morning is maybe her new favorite thing.

There’s something so intimate and wholesome about the way Chloe looks at her as they both wake to the sound of children shouting and pots banging downstairs. Beca’s pretty sure she hears someone yell her name but she’s not sure. All she cares about is that Chloe is the first thing she’s seen today, and she’ll be glad if this is her only gift this year.

(She’s also glad that in their lustful haze last night, Chloe had remembered to lock the door before she dropped to her knees to help Beca out of her jeans.)

The memories make Beca flush, hoping that Chloe doesn’t notice and tease her about it.

Instead, she’s greeted with a soft, tired smile, and she’s about to lean in to press a kiss to Chloe’s lips when she starts to yawn.

“Oh, sorry,” Beca laughs quietly, stopping where she is, inches from Chloe’s mouth.

A hand comes up to cup Beca’s face, and Chloe starts to lean in before she’s even finished yawning.

“Morning,” Chloe whispers before their mouths meet slowly, basking in the glow of the morning light and the newfound intimate atmosphere.

Beca’s heart soars, the softness of Chloe’s lips and the way they fit so well together making her feel warm inside.

She almost doesn’t want to get out of bed.

“Merry Christmas, Chlo.”

Chloe’s smile widens, breaking their kiss, and she pulls back while making sure to keep her body as close to Beca’s as she can.

Part of Beca can’t believe that she’s waking up to a morning kiss from Chloe—a real one, not one shyly pressed to her cheek before getting up to make them coffee before work—after having to deal with convincing herself for so long that Chloe doesn’t feel the same.

If last night didn’t prove that Beca was wrong, then the gentle hand caressing her face as Chloe whispers “I’m so happy you asked me to spend Christmas with you” certainly does.

* * *

Christmas with her family is absolute chaos; the children and the family dog running around and making as much noise as they can while the adults argue over the best way to cook the turkey.

Beca stays as far away from the kitchen as she can, opting to spend her Christmas morning on the chair beside Chloe, trying to ignore the prying, questioning eyes of her family members as they walk in to see them cuddling a little closer than they have for the past few days.

Beca’s aware of their stares, though she can’t find that she cares about it all that much. They’re not homophobic in any way, so she knows that they’re not staring at them maliciously; they’re probably just shocked that Beca has let anybody close enough to her that she feels comfortable with them practically sat on her lap, stealing quick kisses whenever they get the chance to.

She’s about to ask Chloe if she wants a coffee when she feels Chloe start to shift.

She quickly holds onto her, pulling her close.

“Don’t leave, you’re comfy.”

“Jeez,” Chloe laughs. “What happened to big, bad ‘I’m-not-a-cuddler’ Mitchell?”

“She’s gone home for the holidays.”

Chloe laughs again and the sound makes Beca turn her head to press a kiss to the first bit of skin she can find, which happens to be Chloe’s throat. She’s immediately brought back to last night; straddling Chloe, after she made her come, and kissing her neck before making her way down her body.

Chloe clears her throat, shaking Beca out of her daydream.

“I was gonna go get your gift but we can leave it if you’d like.”

Beca thinks for a moment, wondering pathetically if she wants to separate from Chloe for a few moments _now,_ or continue cuddling and part with her later.

 _(When_ did she become so fucking lucky that these are the types of dilemmas she’s having?)

“Okay, gifts now,” Beca says, finally letting Chloe get up. She looks up at her and they stay there for a moment before Chloe leans down to press a kiss to her forehead, telling Beca she’ll be right back.

While Chloe is gone she gets her own gift from her jacket pocket, having hid it there due to Chloe always looking for her gifts to see if she can guess what it is. It’s a small box wrapped in brown paper—the recyclable kind that Chloe’s made her use for the past six years—with a small tag attached to the front.

Chloe returns with a slightly bigger, narrower box than hers, and Beca immediately warms at the excited smile on Chloe’s face.

They sit beside each other on the couch, Beca’s breath catching when Chloe moves closer and rests her hand on her thigh.

“I couldn’t afford to get you much but—”

“—Hey,” Beca interrupts. “Me neither but it’s okay.” 

_You’re the only gift I want,_ she thinks, immediately shaking her head at the thought. 

“Here,” she says instead, holding the gift out for Chloe. “Merry Christmas, Chloe.”

“Merry Christmas babe,” Chloe smiles, pressing a kiss to Beca’s cheek.

Beca’s too caught up in the nickname that rolled so easily off of Chloe’s tongue, that she completely misses Chloe opening her gift.

“Oh my God,” Chloe whispers. Beca looks at her, her gaze dropping to the open box in her hand. A necklace with a small, silver ladybug on it sits against the blue velvet material inside the box. “It’s just like my tattoo!” Chloe says, grinning.

Beca puts her own unopened gift beside her before reaching out to take the necklace from Chloe.

“Let me put it on?”

Chloe turns in her seat to face away from Beca, lifting her hair away from her neck so she can easily put it on. Beca still struggles, though. Her fingers tremble as she drapes the necklace over Chloe’s neck, taking longer than necessary to fasten it due to her shaking hands before the pads of her fingers press against the nape of Chloe’s neck. She leans forward to press a kiss there before Chloe drops her hair and turns around with a soft, beautiful smile on her face.

“I love it,” she whispers with a smile. _“Thank_ you, Beca.”

She accepts the quick but soft kiss that Chloe presses to her lips, before she pulls back and tells Beca to open hers.

She reads the card first, instantly smiling when she opens it to see a familiar pink post-it note.

 **_“Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.” - Joseph Campbell_ ** **_  
_ ** **_You’re my joy._ **

**_Merry Christmas, Becs_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Entirely yours, Chloe._ **

“Dude,” she says with a smile, her voice a little shaky.

She unwraps the gift with more care than she had when she unwrapped her others, and part of the reason is so she can see the way Chloe gets too impatient and excited.

“Hurry up,” Chloe whispers quietly, and Beca grins.

She takes the lid off of the box, her mouth parting with a silent gasp when she’s met with a beautiful silver bracelet with a charm on it. She takes it out of the box and looks over it with care, bringing the charm up to her face and squinting her eyes to read the tiny letters on it.

My Beca. I love you.

She sucks in a breath, looking at Chloe.

“I—”

“—I planned to tell you today. Even if last night never happened.”

“Chloe, I—”

“—I’ve loved you for a long time now, Bec.” She interrupts again. “I’ve wanted to tell you so, _so_ badly, for— for _God,_ I don’t even _know_ how long.”

“I lo—”

“—You don’t have to say it yet but I need you to know because _nobody_ has cared for me the way you do, and I’m so, _so_ lucky to even call you my best friend and—”

 _“—Dude,_ are you gonna let me say it back?”

Chloe bites her lip to try and stop her nervous grin, and Beca laughs, looking down at the words again.

“I love you too, Chloe.”

Their lips meet as soon as she looks up at her again, Chloe tilting her head and capturing her lips so softly and slowly that Beca immediately sinks into it. 

Her hand comes up to cup Chloe’s face, thumb running gently over her jaw, kissing her with the finality of somebody who’s got the only thing she needs for Christmas right in front of her.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! if you enjoy my writing, please follow me on [tumblr](http://bechloehuh.tumblr.com/)


End file.
